As a new mom the prospect of having to summon the motivation to get into the kitchen to cook or prepare a meal can be daunting and to be quite frank the last thing on our minds. We are thinking about sleep, feeds, diapers, vaccinations, and did I say sleep? It took me a while to regain my interest in preparing meals from scratch, and I always went with the simplest of choices in order to get something down me and suppress my hunger rather than sitting back and enjoying a nutritious snack or meal.
However you don’t have to look far if you’re on the hunt for easy and healthy recipes that will help you fight hunger, slowly get you back into meal prep mode, and reduce the time you need to think and execute meals while looking after a newborn. This easy Chicken Salad with quinoa, lettuce, tomatoes, and a medley of Chinese cucumber works for lunch or dinner.
You can use cooked chicken from the freezer or fresh chicken breast that you can season and pop into the oven until cooked through. You can make hearty sandwiches with whole meal bread or ciabatta, and adding apple, pomegranate seeds, and low fat plain yogurt instead of calorific mayo keeps this recipe light and crunchy with a bit of sweetness.
Ingredients
- 2 cups chopped cooked chicken
- 2 cups spinach
- 1 small crisp apple, cored and chopped
- 1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
- 2 – 3 tablespoons mayonnaise (or substitute low-fat plain yogurt for up to 1 tablespoon of mayo)
- 1/4 shallot, minced
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
- 1 – 2 teaspoons cider vinegar, to taste
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup cooked quinoa (optional)
Instructions
Combine all ingredients in a bowl (alternatively you can serve the yogurt dressing on the side). Serve over tender salad greens or on toasted multi-grain bread.
From start to finish this meal will take just 10 minutes. While baby naps, you can rustle up this summer salad with time to spare! New moms, let us know how you get on with this simple recipe in the comments below.
Photo: Pixabay
